N_C

finally found a set of amplified external speakers to use with my portable cd player so i can enjoy music while riding solo but not cover my ears with head phones. but i'm having a hard time figuring out how to safely secure them.

i ride a vision r40 recumbent, it has a trek back rack on it. whether i use my camel bak mule or the back pack with the camel bak classic in it they are both attached behind the seat by running the straps through the seat cover straps. the speakers will not fit in the mesh pockets in either the back pack or the camel bak. and the seat bag that vision offers will not work either.

what i need is a way to safely secure the speakers to the back rack or bike. or a back pack or bag that can be attached behind the seat the way i mentioned above, with big enough mesh pockets for the speakers to fit in.

here is a link to the kind of speakers i purchased. despite their size they are really light.

https://www.radioshack.com/product.as...5Fid=40%2D1404

radio shack does offer a foldable speaker that can out put the kind of volume and sound i am after if i can not find anything with large enough pockets. here is the link to that.

https://www.radioshack.com/product.as...5Fid=40%2D1430

i'd rather use the speakers with one on each side if possible.

also a economical solution is what i am after as well. i'll only listening to music during solo rides. club rides, oranised rides, etc i'l leave the cd player and speakers at home. so i realy can not see spending a lot of money on say a top of the line messanger bag, etc. lets keep the cost below $30.00 if possible.

any suggestions?

thanks.

p.s. and please no lectures on listening to music while riding. i've made the decision to do so, this is the safest way possible to do this, short of using head phones.

bentbaggerlen

I have mounted speakers to the seat frame of a few bents. I use clamp on brackets, or on RANS bikes I bolt the bracket to the water bottle mounts on the back of the seat. I have been thinking of using brackets from cheap head lights, so I can easly remove the speakers

urban_assault

Would zip ties work? You could zip tie the speakers to the rack. they are cheap enough that you could cut them off and use new ties when needed.

N_C

i found a pair of amplified speakers small enough to fit in the side mesh pockets of the back pack. wal-mart had them, they are a set of sony's. they provide the sound i want and are small enough to fit in the pockets.

but i am very interested in how you clamped speakers to the seat frame bentbaggerlen. what type of clamps and brackets did you use? something you made yourself or something you can find at a hardware store?

i did not try zip ties, but i dont think they would work to well. im afraid that the speakers could vibrate loose and end up destroyed after they bounce along the pavement or get hit by a car.

bentbaggerlen

I used clamps from bike reflectors for one set, but there is no easy way to remove them. You have to uses a screwdriver and undo the screw holding the clamp to the seat frame. I have been think of using the mounts from battery powered head lights. I will have to open the speakers drill holes for the hardware. But at the same time I will protect the amp with a coat of epoxy.

What make bent do you ride? Dose the seat have a frame that is open at the top? (like a RANS) If so you may be able to pull out the plug and mount a post on the speakers that fits in the seat frame tube. I plan on mounting the speakers to Screamer this way. So I can pull them off and stuff them into a bag when not in use.

The CD player and the speakers use AA batteries, and we use the bike for longer tours, And the idea of buying lots of batteries along the way just turns me off. So we use rechargeable batteries... I built a recharging circuit that uses power from our SON dyno hub so we can recharge one set as we ride. For the circuit see https://www.nscl.msu.edu/~daniel/regulator.html

"p.s. and please no lectures on listening to music while riding. i've made the decision to do so, this is the safest way possible to do this, short of using head phones."

I was on a group ride that had a "Safety Patrol" that drove along the route and handed out warnings to riders doing stupid things. They gave me a rash of fertilizer about my speakers, I could not hear traffic, it was a distraction, etc., etc. That was until I pointed out that they had a radio in the "safety truck," as well as the fan for the AC and the windows rolled up. OK they did have a point when I passed them on a down hill 15mph above the posted speed limit

KleinMp99

Cant wait to see it when its done..

D*Alex

sigh....

...and people on recumbents wonder why the rest of us think they are so weird....

Pete Clark

Speaking as a blue-skinned guy with a top-knot to an alligator in red sneakers...

stumpjumper

hey, hey.. He's a dinosaur, okay??

Btw, my avitar is in fact a pic of me. The original is hanging in my office

moabrider47

What about these? 2 full-range speakers that can converted to an amp for a guiutar or a P.A. system! Wicked cool! Don't know about you guys, but at only $20, I'm picking a set up now before you all beat me to them!

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=2904


-Moab

-No, I'm not serious

BikeLady

Thanks for brightening up an otherwise depressing morning! Now I have this really amusing mental picture of a pack of 'bent riders with multiple musical offerings blaring out of their individual speakers

Guest

Thanks for the info- I just got one!

This will certainly help to pass the time when I'm on my tour and going through a longer day.

Koffee

DanFromDetroit

If you are not too attached to the recumbent, possibly might run across one of these at a garage sale sometime.

N_C

I am attached to my recumbent. And the radio bikes were only available in AM only. If I am not mistaken Huffy was not the only one to build one.

DanFromDetroit

The Huffy Radio Bike is the first and only one of these I have ever seen. It was just too odd (and amusing) for me to let it pass without comment.


Seriously though, Huffy might have been on to something. I think builiding the radio/speakers/batteries right into the cowling or plastic trim of your bike might be workable. The flat, self-powered speakers used with modern PCs might be adaptable to this kind of use. I have even heard of backpacks equipped with this sort of setup. See the Osiris G-Bag.

Guest

[QUOTE]Originally posted by moabrider47
[B]What about these? 2 full-range speakers that can converted to an amp for a guiutar or a P.A. system! Wicked cool! Don't know about you guys, but at only $20, I'm picking a set up now before you all beat me to them!

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=2904


-Moab


Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllll.....

I got my speaker that came off ebay today. It looks like a good deal and it will work for my bike. Still, I will have to wait until I get out there tomorrow to get the batteries and then take a look at how well it will work for my bike. The velcro straps looks like it may atttach securely to my handlebars. If not, maybe my rear rack? I'll let people know how it works once I install them.

Koffee

bentrider

Check out this new JVC back pack boom box; JVC RSWP1 Back Pack Radio at ONLY $191 (cough.... sputter, gag!). You could attach it to the back of the seat maybe.

G.L. Andrews

I've only very recently discovered the "Bike Forum" and ran across this thread and wanted to add my $.02. I ride a Burley Canto and all my riding is by myself so I wanted some accompanyment. I started out with a BYCOS stereo system. These can be found at www.bicyclestereo.com. What this is is a amplifier and speaker system to which you have to add your own radio / CD player. The amp mounts in place of a water bottle cage. I mounted the amp on the handle bar post and mounted the speakers on the handle bars near the brakes levers. I eventually replaced the speakers with Radio Skack CB speakers #19-318A. I made my own speaker mounting brackets and in turn attached the assembly to the handle bars with Minoura mounts. I haul my bike with a Draftmaster rack and I did not trust the plastic brackets which came with the Radio Shack speakers. While the sound is not home theater quality, it's just fine for me!

Thanks,
Garry

bent4me

I bought a pair of sony amplified speakers for $20 and glued them together(bottom to bottom). I hose clamped a water bottle cage to the steering tube on my Stratus and wedged the speakers sideways into the cage. I velcroed a portable am/fm cassette to the brake area. The speakers sit under the fairing and give some great sound. They are also protected from the weather. I have this setup for over 4 yrs and it still works great. I did try to put the speakers in the mesh side pockets of my panniers, but the sound is behind you and you lose it. I also have mounted with velcro the same speakers to my rear rack on my WW3.4. Since the speakers are so close to my head the sound is very good and yet you can still hear the road. I now use Iriver mp3 which is the size of a bic lighter and has 17hrs of music plus great sound and fm.

cyclingshane73

What is wrong with just listening to a mono single ear bud from say a device like an MP3 player? I've done this for a long time. No problems. Just don't crank up the volume!

cyclingshane73

BWAAAAhahaha!!!

pescabicicleta

I also have a Vision VR-40 (great bike) that I turned into a rolling concert. I had an old pair of Sony SRS-A10 speakers; when these are snapped together (at the base), they are just slightly larger than a standard water bottle, are can be easily (though snugly) inserted into the bottle cage. I added a length of heavy duty shock cord and two pinch locks to guarantee it stays on the bike.

I am a bit nervous about having my iPod attached to the bike (in case of accident), so rather than plug it in directly, I keep a small FM radio on the bike, tucked inside the small tool bag I attached to the seat frame. To play (non-radio) music, I use an iTrip radio transmitter and "narrowcast" from my iPod, which is safely tucked away in my panniers. Works like a charm, and I can always listen to the radio, too.